


the dog days are over

by dontstraytoofar



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, erin is protective af, like a lot ok, tw for one mention of homophobic slur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 21:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7657375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontstraytoofar/pseuds/dontstraytoofar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Holtz is uncharacteristically sad. Erin becomes a fiesty chocolate labrador and makes it her mission to both a) cheer her up and b) get to the bottom of it</p>
            </blockquote>





	the dog days are over

**Author's Note:**

> this is for a prompt on tumblr for chewvic!!! 
> 
> come say hey!! @lesbianspacepilot
> 
> all mistakes are mine x

 

Days like today, post beating up ghosts and getting the  _ mayor  _ to personally see you, Erin is on one of those highs only 5 hours of constant work and physics equations can give her. 

So when they sit in the chairs, Holtz swinging her legs up onto the mayor's’ desk and Abby and Patty leaning forward in anticipation, Erin can say  _ something  _ good has to come out of this, right? She’s practically bouncing and smiling, hands in between her thighs to stop the shaking and sweat and excitement and  _ oh my god there’s so much sweat?? _

 “Keep the cat. In the bag. At all times. Never. Open. The cat bag”

Erin nearly slips on the plush leather seats, and it’s only when Holtz grabs her by the elbow to prevent her from sinking further into them, does she realise what the past three minutes of talking entailed.

 “Wait, what!? You’ve  _ got _ to be kidding me”

And a woman in a finely pressed pant suit saddles up beside them, pushing Holtz’ feet off the desk with a disgusted shiver. Making Holtzmann frown, pout, and begrudgingly lower them. “I’m afraid we’re not joking, keep it on the down low? Maybe?”

For the first time in her life, it’s Abby holding _Erin_ back from literally nearly punching someone in their stupid Woman’s Weekly worthy face.

Erin scowls the whole trip home, and it’s a mix of, “Abby I swear to god you should've at  _ least  _ let me give her an...I don’t know, wedgy?” and a replying, “Erin, one: if  _ that’s  _ your plan of action, go back to kindergarten. And two: you couldn’t hurt a fly”

It makes Erin folds her arms, open her mouth and gasp as she then pushes into the middle and leans into the front of the car. “I could so”

Patty rolls her eyes at Abby in the passenger seat twisting around to see her better. “Name three”

Erin frowns, seeming to think back, then lights up as she clicks her finger. “Third grade! Donny Hibbert tried to throw you in a garbage can and just  _ whom  _ was the girl that pushed him into the sand pit?”

Patty snickers, widening her eyes as Abby turns to her in anger. “What? Babe come one. That’s  _ priceless” _

 “It was one time!”

Then Erin grins, poking Abby in the arm making her exclaim “Hey!”

 “Hah! One to Erin. Zero to Abby”

And Erin leans back, noticing how not  _ one  _ quip from Holtz about “trash can Abby” was made. The woman still staring absentmindedly out the window, drawing little smiley faces and explosions with her finger on the fogged glass. Erin frowns slightly, but still smiles as she nudges Holtz with her elbow lighty.

 “Hey, you okay?”

Holtz straightens up, grinning with her dimples and nodding, leaning back with her arms on the seats behind her head as she stretches out. And Erin shakes her head with a hidden smile as Holtz replies with a wink and “Never been better gorgeous”

And the car drives along, hitting the New York city streets as Erin nods once, smiling and leaning back with her. 

 “Cool. Great.” 

But Erin kinda doesn’t believe her, even with the charming grin and laid back body, Erin can see how Holtz is withdrawn slightly. The woman's fingers tapping nervously at her knee. So Erin brings out the big guns, and in her happy yet still pissed off mood, vows to make the uncharacteristically gloomy Holtzmann...smile?

Well, she  _ is  _ smiling.

Okay no. Smile  _ genuinely _ .

Erin bites her lip to contain her grin, and reaches into the back of the car for her secret stash of “on the job” snacks as she appropriately calls them. She sifts through the countless items as she feels Holtzmann poke her in the rib, making her jump. She cranes her neck to glare at the offender.

 “Um, yes?”

And Holtz is grinning up to her, chin in her palm as she winks. “Nice butt”

Erin rolls her eyes, and god is she thankful she’s facing away from Holtzmann, because her cheeks heat up at the weird and wonderful compliment. She continues sifting, moving around various foods consisting of Patty’s favourite eclairs, Abby’s (always fresh) wontons, and Erin’s chocolate covered raisins.

And Holtz?

Erin successfully grabs them, plonking down back in her seat as she shakes the can of Holtz’ life source in her right hand. “Pringles?”

The lit up smile is kinda worth it Erin thinks. Because Holtz’ surprised wide eyes and grabby hands make Erin roll her eyes, handing over the item as she watches how the other woman opens the packet in a flash. Talking around the salty chips shoved in her mouth as she licks her lips.

 “You, my ghosty girl, are my saviour”

(Erin snorts at “ghosty girl”, and ignores how the butterflies hit and flutter around her stomach)

  
  
  
  


Holtz’ mood doesn’t improve, even with her salty parabola’s and being safe and warm in her lab, the woman doesn’t have the usual flare. Hasn’t even touched one of her inventions. 

But the most worrying thing? It’s been 24 hours, and not  _ one  _ seductive impromptu dance number directed at Erin has been executed.  It’s funny, Erin thinks, that it’s weird when Holtz’  _ isn’t  _ flirting with her and making her squirm.

So Erin frowns at Holtz who is currently laying upside down on the couch, feet up in the air with her head pointed to the ground. Erin whispers to Patty next to her, the woman bent over her latest History book.

 “Is Holtz acting weird?”

Patty raises an eyebrow, looking to Erin then looking back to the woman in question who’s currently attempting to eat Pringles upside down, balancing them on her nose. “Uh baby, she looks pretty normal to me.”  Then Patty frowns briefly, “Unless those are sour cream flavoured Pringles”

Erin scrunches her nose up. “Do I wanna know?”

Patty leans back, blowing a breath of air out as she chuckles. “Nope. Trust me”

Erin decides to leave it at that, but her curiosity is piqued. Because Holtz not breathing down her neck and complementing the brightness of her eyes or the curve of her smile is strange. And if Erin was being honest with herself? She misses it.

A lot.

More than she cares to admit.

(That and Holtz’ happiness is very important to her. Erin decides to decode that thought later)

So she finds herself walking to Holtz, standing above her and waving her hand in front of the Pringle faced engineer. Secretly finding her whole act endearing. “Earth to Holtzmann?”

Holtzmann looks up, dazed and covered in pringles, then freezes. Looking up to Erin with a perfect chip still balancing precariously on her nose, her eyes comically wide. “Oh my god”

And Erin then folds her arms, squirming. Suddenly self conscious as Holtz explores her entire body with her eyes upside down. “What? Holtz what are you-”

But before Erin can check for a loose button or an undone zipper, Holtz grins to her and winks, eating the Pringle from her nose. “You’re beautiful upside down”

Erin rolls her eyes, still folding her arms as she blushes. “Oh, well. So are you”  Erin steals the next chip from Holtz’s nose and plops it in her mouth, watching the other woman gasp. “Even if you’re covered in salty parabolas”

Holtz grins so wide that Erin’s blinded for a brief moment in time, and if she suddenly, quite out of nowhere, didn’t turn alarmingly to the sound of their fire alarm going off and Kevin's yell of “I may of set fire to the telephone?” she would have seen Holtz’ adoring look. Where her grin turned soft and resigned, maybe even to a look of realisation.

Erin’s next tactic of “drag Holtz from the couch and play video games” was put on stall as she ran to the fire extinguisher. But as the old telephone sizzles, and Erin looks back to Holtzmann who has given up on the Pringles in favour of sleep, she starts to worry seriously. What happened in the last 12 hours? Did Erin miss something? Was she too caught up in staring lovingly into Holtz’ smile and eyes and-

Erin shakes her head, and waits for dinner until she broaches the topic because she just witnessed  _ the  _ Jillian Holtzmann give up on Pringles and ignore getting to spray fluffy foam all over a fire and fist bump the air.

Patty comes up beside her, wielding her own extinguisher as she comments. “Damn. Holtzy is  _ not  _ okay”

Yeah, Erin thinks,  _ definitely  _ not okay.

  
  


 

  
  


“Hey hot stuff, what’s cooking?”

Erin finger guns the air to Holtz’ direction, the other woman laying on her back on the floor, and looks up to Erin with the most confused expression that even Erin can admit, with a wince, that that was the  _ worst  _ impression.

Erin sighs, opting to lay next to Holtz on the wooden floor, shoulder to shoulder as they stare at the ceiling.

 “Okay okay,  _ yes.  _ That was awful”

It brings a small smile to Holtz, and Erin laughs lightly as she nudges Holtz’ shoulder.

 “You okay? You’ve been off the last couple days. Did Kevin use your ghost buster pen again?”

Holtz frowns, taking off her glasses and setting them down, turning on her side to look at Erin better. And Erin gets lost in Holtz for a moment, to how she is a breath away and to how a short lock of her golden hair tickles her cheek. She shouldn’t be focusing on that, but Holtz has a weird way of making her lose her track of thought.

 “Just been thinking. Ever wonder how a raven is like a writing desk?”

Erin furrows her eyebrows, turning her head to the roof in thought as she feels Holtz breath on the side of her neck. “Uh, no?”

She feels rather than sees, Holtzmann shrug. Their shoulders brushing from their proximity. “Me either. Actually, I think what would be more nifty is a flying desk.  _ Imagine  _ how many badass ghost killings we could perform.” Holtz frowns briefly after her excited grin, and glances to Erin’s legs.

 “Although, you gotta work on your balance amigo”

And Erin faux gasps, chuckling lightly at Holtz teasing. “Hey! I have you know I am in perfect, uh, balance. Or whatever”

Holtz nods sarcastically like she believes her. “Uh huh. And I am heterosexual”

She pokes Erin's’ nose, making the older woman scrunch it as she introduces herself. “Well hello kind sir, I am a straight. What fine and lovely heterosexual weather we’re having!”

Erin laughs full heartedly, shaking her head as she calms down. Watching how Holtz smiles so softly and tentatively that it makes her blush. “Dork”

 “Yup. That’s me”

Yet Erin can hear the slight change in her voice, how Holtz turns to the ceiling with Erin and puts her hands to her stomach, mumbling some 1980’s hit under her breath. And Erin takes her hand, smooths over the top of it with her thumb, because  _ something  _ happened at the mayor’s office. And Erin wants to help, to make her smile and make Holtz feel the love that  _ she _ feels.

 “Jillian?”

Her first name on her lips makes Holtz look quickly to Erin, and down to her soothing touch. Holtz gets lost in the way that Erin looks to her so worryingly, so carefully and caring as if nothing else orbited her other than Holtz.

It makes her feel okay again.

 “Yeah?”

 “Really, are you okay?”

And Holtz turns to the ceiling again, Erin feels the hand in hers grip tightly. As if seeking an anchor, or maybe just someone to  _ listen. _

But no she’s not okay, she’s _ not  _ okay and she  _ wishes  _ what happened didn’t have to affect her so much. She wishes words didn’t well...bleed. And so she takes a breathe, and Erin’s hand in hers feels like the safest Holtz has ever been.

 “When we were leaving the office...” Holtz pauses to take a breath and start again. “You remember that Woman’s Weekly secretary lady?” At Erin’s attentive nod and encouraging half smile, Holtz continues, her head now facing Erins, both in the others orbit.

 “Well she uh, she whispered about how, um..”

Erin is so  _ patient,  _ so quiet and present that Holtz takes a breath not only so keep going, but to quell her racing heart because Erin is so many things. So many  _ amazing _ things and Holtz is getting lost in her breathing, in how their chests rise and fall together in sync. It’s enough to make the words rush out of her, cascading down her lips in a onslaught of nervousness and uncomfortable memories.

 “S-she called me a dyke. More like whispered it as I left? But hey, I glared her down and ran to her and if it wasn’t for Patty pulling me by the collar I’d-”

And Holtz takes a short breath finally, screwing her eyes shut as the word washes over and over and over again and she can’t open her eyes even if she tried. But it’s Erin’s soft hands, and her shocked and appalled and angry voice that has Holtzmann slowly opening them to her. Being met with a...well.

An angry, fuming, frowning Erin.

Holtz has to admit, it’s kinda a turn on.

 “She said  _ what? _ ”

Holtz opens her mouth to repeat with a confused look. “Uh, she said-”

Erin sits up, shaking her head, her hand still attached to Holtz as the other woman comes up with her. “I know what she said, but she said  _ what?” _

And Erin smacks her hand to her forehead, letting a noise of frustration out as she turns to Holtz and throws their hands into the air. “God I  _ knew  _ I should have punched her in the face when I had the chance. Jesus, what a-what a, christ what a-”

And Holtz chimes in, watching Erin get worked up. Taking pleasure in how riled up the uptight woman is as she grins. “Let me guess, numskull?”

 “Bitch!”

And Holtz widens her eyes, letting a “Whaaat” out as she laughs through it. Erin left to blush at her language. “Damn Gilbert, that was kinda hot”

Erin's’ left to roll her eyes, fold her arms, and in the process Holtz frowns at the lost of contact as their hands separate. And everything kinda just..goes. Holtzmann realises this as Erin jumps into a tangent, something about “Goddamn perfect smile needs to be kicked in. She does know we’re ghostbusters right?” And Holtz realises that the entire time she’s with Erin, all the bad stuff just swallows itself and leaves Holtz’ mind. In the car. On the couch. Every moment and every time Erin touches her, speaks her name, Holtz lights up like the sun and acts as if Erin is this blinding planet passing through her solar system.

Erin is still rambling, arms folded as she now is standing up, pacing with her hands flying wildly. “And god that woman! If she had even an  _ inkling  _ of how amazing you are she would do us all a goddamn favour and shove that  _ word _ right up her-”

And Holtz starts laughing, leant back on her palms as Erin stops suddenly, anger still prevalent. “What!? Holtz I swear if this is another joke-” But Holtz just shakes her head, laughter dying down as she smiles. She looks to Erin, and maybe she let her face show too much because Erin suddenly sobers up.

 “No one’s actually gotten that..mad before on behalf of me. Or protective. Or soft in how they hold my hands, and I’ve never shared intimate breathing space like that and-” Holtz keeps listing, counting them off with her left hand. And Erin sighs, because of  _ course  _ Holtzmann diverges the topic. She can tell in how there is a slight shake to her voice. 

 “Holtz?”

 “Yeah Ez?”

Erin smiles, and holds her hand out for Holtz to take from the floor, beckoning the other woman as she speaks. “Do you wanna...talk about it? I, uh. I’m no therapist, trust me I wouldn’t go there,” Holtz laughs lightly, grinning up to a suddenly nervous and  bashful Erin.

Holtz falls for her for the countless time.

 “But if there’s one thing Abby has taught me, is that talking about it helps. Alot”

Erin stands there, other hand nervously tapping at the side of her thigh as Holtz looks up, a stray curl falling in front of her eyes. And Holtz grins, watching how Erin suddenly laughs in her awkward way, making the engineer more hopelessly devoted.

 “Uh, you know, this is the part where you take my hand and I pull you up all romantically and we talk about stuff and feelings and oh my god I just said romantically. Jesus, okay forget that last part ever happened and-”

But Holtzmann has already taken the outstretched hand, smiling as the sudden force and touch prompts Erin to overcompensate, pulling up Holtz faster than intended. They meet nose to nose, Holtz just grinning and laughing lightly because without even trying Erin has somehow made her feel on top of the world.

 “Hey hot stuff”

Erin blushes, but not before she chuckles lightly and creates space between them. Holtz swoons for the way Erin shyly tucks a stray piece of her hair behind her ear, just to shake Holtz’ hand awkwardly in that endearing Erin manuerism.

 “Not sure how you do it, but my tag line from before was close, right?”

And Holtz pecks Erin on the nose with her lips, leaving this tingly sensation in its wake, just for her to blush harder than ever before. Holtz pulls back, and Erin stutters like she’s being electrocuted, mouth opening and closing. “U-uh, um..”

Before Holtz can make a quip about how speechless she can make Erin, she watches the other woman suddenly stop, come to a realisation, and as if on impulse dart her eyes to Holtz’ lips.

 “Huh”

 “Uh, Erin?”

 “Hmm?”

 “Eyes are up here”

 “Yep. Got it”

And that’s how Holtz finds herself, surrounded in a crescent of pringles, knees weak and bones like sand as Erin kisses her. She kisses her and kisses her and Erin’s lips tastes of chocolate and mint and everything Holtz imagined it to be like. She sucks in a breath as Erin boldly kisses her deeper, Holtz barely having any sense left to kiss back as she feels those soft lean hands on her waist.

Erin pulls back, lips slightly pink, blue eyes dilated and wide. And Holtzmann loses herself in them, drowning in Erin’s ocean as her lips part in surprise.

“Well that was..”

“Wow”

Holtz nods, her mouth splitting into a grin as her dimples show. “You’re an amazing kisser”

Erin smiles, that smile when she bites her lip, bouncing slightly on her feet. And Holtz is okay again, she’s gonna be okay if Erin smiles like that and looks to her like nothing else matters.  

She feels Erin's lips chastely kiss her on her nose.

“You’re not so bad yourself”

 

 


End file.
